Green Leaves and Hospital Beds
by Red Fez
Summary: On their way to Camp, Katie, Travis, and Connor get into a car accident. While two of them are perfectly fine - beyond a few bumps and scrapes here and there - one of them is left in critical condition, and who knows what will happen in the end?
1. Rain and Dirt

**Author's Note: Hey all! The idea for this just kinda fell into my head, and I was originally gonna write it as a Percabeth story, but then I decided that there are enough of 'em - don't get me wrong, I love Percabeth - and there just aren't enough Tratie stories out there. So, without further ado, I present Green Leaves and Hospital Beds to you!**

**Disclaimer: Read my Penname. It says English Luvin Girl, does it not? Is Rick Riordan a girl? No. Good. Any questions?  
**

GREEN LEAVES AND HOSPITAL BEDS

Chapter One - Rain and Dirt

I walk in an endless forest, a constant drizzle drip-dropping down into my hair, soaking the brown curls. Wondering how I came to this place for the hundredth or more time, I sit on a soggy log, burying my face in my hands, letting out a sob. Food wasn't a problem here; I didn't seem to get hungry. But that wasn't the problem. I'd been here for a week, and seen no one.

I thought back to before I came here, wherever 'here' was. New York City, driving to Camp Half-Blood for the start of summer. I was in the car with my boyfriend and his younger brother. My last memory was stopping at a stop sign, looking both ways, starting forward, and then the sensation of being flipped over. The shriek of metal scratching metal and then the crunch of something collapsing. Immediately after, I woke up here, sprawled on the ground.

Wiping my eyes with the back of my hands, I stay seated for a few moments longer, hoping someone would find me. Like people always tell you to do when you get lost in the woods: "Stay still. Moving around makes it harder to find you." Blah, blah, blah. Staying in one place for me meant only one thing: the monsters could come and find me easier. And then that would make their job of possibly killing me easier. Resigning myself to this fact, I stand and walk forward. A headache dizzies me and I stagger, reaching out for something to grab. After steadying myself, I reach up to touch my forehead and pull my fingers away, feeling something warm. And wet. Looking at my fingers, I see the dark red of blood.

I scream, wondering how it got there. Immediately I slap my hand over my mouth, darting my eyes around to see if my yell alerted any monster in this stationary, dream world.

Nothing but silence echoes back. Nothing pokes its head between green leaves. Nothing is heard above the constant raindrops splattering on the leaves and ground. I sigh, closing my eyes in relief.

"Think first next time, Katie," I berate myself. "Oh great, now I'm talking to myself."

I mentally slap myself. _Don't go insane out here!_ I cheer myself on. Sighing again, I lay down on the ground, tears leaving clean tracks on my dirt covered cheeks. I stare at my fingernails, soil clinging between the short nails and skin. That's one of the things my boyfriend has always said he loves about me; I'm not afraid of how I look, unlike those Aphrodite girls. I was about as different from one of them as you could get. Weariness dredged me as I curled into a ball, crying myself to sleep.


	2. First Glimpses

**A/N: Heeeyyyyyllllllooooo! Chapter Two is here! PLEASE REVIEW?**

**Disclaimer: Again, do I seem like a man to you?  
**

GREEN LEAVES AND HOSPITAL BEDS

Chapter Two - First Glimpses

A boy sat in the corner of a room, fingers laced in front of him, elbows resting on his knees. The room was a clean, sterile white. A hospital bed was the main piece of furniture, a girl with curly brown lay on it, her hair fanning out on the pillow. Sunlight filtered in through the windows, and the boy stood to turn the blinds to stop the light. A hand grabbed his wrist before he could. The boy turned to see his brother wordlessly shaking his head before returning to his seat next to the hospital bed, grabbing the girl's hand and murmuring her name over and over, like a mantra, "Katie, Katie," not stopping or missing a beat.

A black-haired guy walked into the room. He put a hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "Travis, Katie is going to be alright. Don't worry."

Travis's eyes flashed with anger and he stood, turning to face him. "Percy, she's my girlfriend! Can you honestly say that if it were Annabeth sitting in this bed you wouldn't be here, worrying your head off?"

Percy looked as if someone had slapped him in the face. He took a step back, shaking his head slightly. "If your'e going to stay here, Connor should at least go to camp. It's safer for him there."

The boy in the corner took a step forward, "I'm not leaving my brother here alone. He needs someone to look after him."

Percy rolled his eyes and left the room. Travis turned to look at his brother, Connor. "Thank you," he mouthed to him before sitting down in his chair again.

Connor stood and looked at his brother. "I'm hungry, so I'm gonna get some food. Want any?"

Travis merely shook his head, and Connor left without another word.


	3. Meeting Morgan

**A/N: I wrote half of this a week before I wrote the second half. And the second half I wrote at 8AM after staying up all night. So if it doesn't make too much sense, that's why. :)**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own PJatO! *cries*  
**

GREEN LEAVES AND HOSPITAL BEDS

Chapter Three – Meeting Morgan

Waking suddenly, I scramble to my feet, looking around for danger. Not seeing anything, I sigh. I get the feeling I'm missing something, but I can't figure out what it is. I look up. The rainclouds are still there, an endless gray, but nothing falls from them. The ground's still muddy, but I can live with that. I walk to one of the nearby trees, reaching out to touch the trunk. In that moment I make a decision; I will see just how big this forest really is.

I grab hold of two of the branches to pull myself up, but before my feet leave the ground, I hear something. I whip my head around, expecting to see someone; I'd heard my name. Nothing. Narrowing my eyes, I turn my attention back to the tree. I climb about ten feet before I hear my name again. "Katie," the wind whispers in my ears.

I grit my teeth, and choose to otherwise ignore it; it has to be my imagination. Continuing, up, up, up, branches and leaves seem to go on forever. I have a long task ahead of me, but I know that once I've started, there's no turning back.

I halt my ascent to catch my breath. Leaning my head back against the tree trunk, I look around at the vast expanse of green, gray, and brown. Everything but the leaves are a dull color. The leaves are the only thing that stands out. I wonder why that is, and remember that I'd been wearing – and still am – a bright red shirt. I look down at it, expecting it to seem as bright as I'd remembered it. It's not. I finger the now dull cloth, questioning why only the leaves are bright. Sighing, I pull myself up, continuing up into the sea of green and brown.

Eventually, I am high enough to see above the tops of most of the trees, and look out, hoping to see a sign of someone else here. One thing stands out among the bright green on gray clouds landscape before me; black smoke curling up to the sky, some distance away to my left. I scream in joy of the one sign of other life. Then I look down and begin to beat my head against the tree trunk. It's a long way down. I decide to drop a few branches down at a time, hoping against hope that I don't slip on the wet wood and go plummeting to my doom.

Finally I'm only a few feet off the ground, and I jump the rest of my way, my knees bending automatically to brace for the landing. I land softly, my feet barely making a noise against the old leaf mold on the forest floor. I glance around quickly, taking in the familiar surroundings, and then I take off, racing in the direction of where I saw the smoke. Leaves and branches appear and then disappear just as quickly as they'd appeared as I follow a small path.

Wait. A path? What's a path doing in this forest? I realize as I'm running along. Immediately, I stop, slapping myself mentally for not noticing earlier. I step off the path aways, multiple thoughts running through my head. I rest against one of the trees, breathing heavily. Then, I hear a twig snap and something walking up the path. I stiffen, preparing myself for a monster. I duck behind a bush, and watch as a human comes walking up the slight path, humming to herself. I gape at her, wondering how in Hades name there can be another human be here and I didn't know.

But then I consider the fact that this is a pretty big forest, and I stand, coming out from my hiding place. The girl – she appears about my age, maybe a little younger – gives a start at my sudden appearance. Her mouth takes the shape of an 'o', and she steps back. "Who-who are you?" she stammers out.

I look at her warily, unsure if I can trust her. But then I decide to tell her my first name, and nothing else. "I'm Katie. Who are you, might I ask?"

"Morgan. I've been here, two months, I think. I've lost track of time," she responds with a slight smile.

I nod, not really caring how long she's been there. "Is there anybody else here?"

She tilts her head, considering the question. "There is a boy… He just showed up a few days ago, though. I can't get him to tell me his name though." She gives a helpless shrug.

I think this over and nod. "Can you take me to him?" I ask.

She nods and turns, heading back the way she came. I follow silently behind her.


	4. State of Dreaming

**AN: I apologize profusely for not updating for so long. Crap happened. But. Here's a much longer chapter than the past three have been (it's literally 5 words shy of 1,300). And uh. Just a heads up. This is a chapter that's a flashback to before the crash. I originally wrote it in present tense, realized it should be in past, went back and changed it. Hopefully, I got all of it. If I missed any and it doesn't make sense because of that, I apologize. Just leave a review and/or PM me and I'll try and change it ASAP. Also, the next chapter (which I have about 300-400 words of it written), will be another flashback chapter, and it **should** be up within the week.**

**DISCLAIMER: No. I do not claim any rights to Percy Jackson.**

* * *

-Katie POV

I stood on my front porch, my bare feet on the cool wood. A slight breeze ran through the air, jostling the green leaves that covered the trees, giving the scene an unrealistically calm effect. My eyes narrowed down, and I stepped off the porch, my feet slamming against the cement front walk to the driveway, where my car sat. I flung the driver's door open, and sat down, fuming. Tears stung my eyes, and I glanced at myself in the rear view mirrors, taking in my appearance. Messed up brown hair and light green eyes. I tore my gaze away from the mirror to glare absently at the shut garage door in front of me.

I stuck the keys into the ignition, and started the car; immediately the radio started up, and some crappy pop song came playing out of the speakers. I groaned, grabbed some CD case and stuck the CD into the player. A few seconds later, the sound of a Shinedown song filled the car, and I backed the car out of the driveway, my anger receding slightly.

My bags for camp sat in the trunk of the car, where I'd had them for the past week. I'd been prepared to leave for camp at any time, in case something like what just happened did happen. I'd been hoping to leave on a happier note, but I knew that that was just an empty thought. Not one time had I left for camp happy. Not even once.

A few minutes later, I pulled into another driveway. The home of the annoying near-identical brothers, Travis and Connor Stoll. I got out of the car, left it on, and walked up to their front door. I rang the doorbell, and attempt to calm myself before one of them comes. The door was flung open, and Travis appeared. "Hey, Katie," he greeted me, a grin on his face.

"Hi. Get your bags. We need to leave for camp now," I responded, a touch of anger in my voice.

The smirk slid away, and worry entered his eyes. "What's wrong?"

I glared at him, the rage at my father boiling up again. "Nothing," I snapped back, "just get your bags for camp."

Holding his hands up in surrender, he said, "Okay, fine. Come inside while I get Connor?"

I took a second to ponder this before I nodded sharply, and he opened the door to let me enter the cool interior of his house. Knowing where to go, I took the few steps to enter their living room and took a seat on one of their couches while Travis ran off to find Connor and get their bags. A few minutes later, he returned with Connor in tow. They had their backpacks slung over their shoulders, and I gave a slight smile to Connor in greeting; in return, he enthusiastically said, "Hey, Katie!"

I rose from the couch and followed to the two boys out of their house and over to my still-running car, entered, and waited as they deposited their bags in the trunk. Travis entered the seat next to me, smiled, and gave me a hug. "What's wrong?" he whispered in my ear.

I said nothing, slightly shaking my head before I pulled back from the embrace. Connor then slid into the backseat of the car, and took one look at us before he groaned. "Ugh, come on you too! Not where there are innocent eyes."

I laughed, but Travis retorted, "If you're talking about yourself, you're hardly innocent."

-x-

After a couple of hours with the Stolls in my car, the anger at my father had completely dissolved. It'd been replaced by my annoyance at the two hyperactive brothers now seated in my car. With the way they kept needing to stop for food and bathroom breaks, we'd be lucky if we made it to camp sometime this month. But I shrugged and bore it; traveling with the two of them might not be the best arrangement, but it's better than on my own. And besides, the two are my best friends. None of my siblings seemed to be able to understand it, given that the Stoll brothers enjoyed pranking our cabin. But I smiled at them and said, "They're not that bad."

Of course, none of them knew about my crush on Travis. The only person who knew about that was Connor, and he'd been sworn to secrecy. He still, of course, dropped not-so-subtle hints, but Travis, being the clueless moron he was, never seemed to understand them.

What I didn't know, however, was that Travis also liked me. And that the only person he'd confided in was Connor.

-x-

-Connor POV

Watching the two idiots in front of me is like watching a really bad soap opera, only a lot less dramatic and I can't make fun of it and - actually, forget the soap opera analogy. It's just super annoying knowing that they both like each other, but still unable to do anything about it. They'd both sworn me to secrecy on pain of death.

Seeing as I didn't have a death wish, I'd readily obliged to this. But that didn't stop me from hinting at things, and trying to force them together. They still remained resilient. I was just about ready to give up my self-appointed job of getting them together, when an idea formed in my head. The only problem was, was that it'll have to wait a little while. A mischievous grin started to from on my face, and that was when Katie's voice broke through my planning.

"Uh uh," she said, glancing at me in the rear view mirror, "I do not like the look on your face. What are you planning?"

I struggled to regain a neutral look, but was unable to completely smother the smirk. "Nothing!"

Katie's eyes narrowed slightly before she shrugged. "If you say so."

-x-

The next few hours passed uneventfully. I was sitting in the back, formulating my plan to get Travis and Katie together. The two might like each a lot, but they're both too blind and dumb to notice. This was going to be hard to accomplish, but hopefully, given the right nudging, they'd see it.

Katie announced that we have to stop for the night, and pulled into the parking lot of a small hotel. We exited the car, and entered the building. Katie immediately headed over to the front desk, while Travis and I hung back, taking in the decor and listening to the conversation Katie and the receptionist were having, only a few words of their conversation flowing over to us.

When Katie walked back over to us, she was holding two room keys, one of which she handed too Travis, and the other she kept for herself.

We went back out to the car, and entered so we can get some dinner before turning in for the night. The large, golden M marking a McDonald's shone like a beacon, calling us into the fast food restaurant. As Katie had paid for the hotel rooms, the food was on Travis and I.

After we'd ordered, we waited the few minutes it took for the food to be ready for us. Sitting at one of the tables, we all quickly inhaled the food before standing and leaving once more.

Back at the hotel, we seperated so Kate could go to her room, and Travis and I to ours. After a short debate over who got which bed, we both changed into our pajamas and collapsed onto our respective beds. I went over the plan once more in my mind before allowing the sweet darkness of a dreamless sleep to take over.


End file.
